Comments call for agencies to adopt strong protections as part of the Clean Water Act
For immediate release
WASHINGTON Environment America Research & Policy Centers Clean Water Network provided support from nearly 100 organizations Monday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, urging federal policymakers in Washington to officially repeal the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule (also called the Dirty Water Rule), and restore water protections for our nation’s waterways. Environment America Research & Policy Center as well as Environmental Action submitted 18,316 comments by their members on this matter.
This is a decision that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers are considering. Which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act?,
According to Environment America Research & Policy Center Clean Water Program Director: Trump’s Dirty Water Rule has left too many of our nation’s waterways without federal protection from polluters. John Rumpler. We ask the EPA for an official repeal of this destructive rollback. We also urge the agency to restore protections to all streams and wetlands.
The waters under consideration are extremely valuable, but also at great risk. Headwaters and streams that don’t flow year-round are vital to the supply of drinking water for millions. They also support fish and estuaries that are prized for fishing and recreation and feed America’s rivers and lakes. Wetlands provide habitat for wildlife and filter out pollutants. Today’s comments continue the steady drumbeat for public support for this topic. More than a million Americans — including 1,000 local officials and business owners, have previously urged this agency to restore Clean Water Act protections to all waterways.
Rumpler said that the United States made a commitment to clean all waterways in America by adopting the Clean Water Act almost 50 years ago. This administration can only fulfill that legacy by restoring federal protection for all waterways upon which our ecosystems and ourselves depend.
